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One day after Columbia University called on law enforcement to arrest more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters, students continued to occupy part of the campus lawn.
Dozens of police stood outside the university gates on Friday. Inside, it looks like a massive picnic. Chants from the loudspeaker go between “Free Palestine” and reminders to clean up and get food if protesters get hungry.
Marie Adele Grosso, a 19-year-old Barnard College student was among those arrested Thursday. She was back at the encampment Friday, wearing a keffiyeh, despite receiving an email telling her she was currently suspended on an interim basis. The college has not yet determined whether she has violated the Barnard College Student Code of Conduct.
Grosso says she is banned from campus housing, cannot use her meal plan and is unsure where she will stay for the night. University officials say she has 15 minutes to collect her belongings. But she’s determined to keep protesting. “The only moral thing is to do whatever we can,” she says.
Not everyone is on her side. Avi Lichtschein, a pro-Israeli protester, showed up outside the campus gates with an Israeli flag and his dog. “The days of Jewish people or Israeli people feeling intimidated are over. You can have your rally, it’s wonderful. I can hold my Israeli flag,” he says. Lichtschein, who grew up in New York and has relatives in Israel, says he is planning to move to Israel with his family in the near future. “It’s not out of fear, it’s more a sense of supreme pride,” he says. There are only a handful of counter-protesters; they are vastly outnumbered by hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters.
A spokesperson for Columbia University said Friday that students who participated in the encampment are suspended but did not provide an exact number. “We are continuing to identify them and will be sending out formal notifications,” they said.
The spokesperson also stated that the encampment has been dismantled and they…
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